1952 Korean War tour - a box of negatives

XA2inmypocket

XA2inmypocket

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Paul
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My uncle Ray recently passed away. He was very much a loner, and the family understanding was that he suffered from battle fatigue or PTS from his service in the Korean War. While sorting his belongings, a box of 6 x 9 poorly kept negatives were handed to me for scanning. They turned out to be almost all from his tour. A few sample images, and then a link to the collection. Ray served with the Royal Norfolk Regiment, and volunteered while in National Service. He was involved in a number of fire fights with Chinese troops, and a number of his comrades died, including young national servicemen.

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Ray himself, after the Battle of Bunkerhill in Korea.

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Link to the flickr gallery
 
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Nice selection. Loving the ones with the Bren gun.
 
Thank you for sharing. They're all a great slice of history, but the one of the woman sitting on the bollard is special.
 
Nice set Paul - love seeing pictures like these being published and seen after all the years they've been left undiscovered... (y)
 
Thanks for sharing Paul and hopefully your uncle enjoyed seeing this historic set.
 
A bit ago spent some time in hospital with an Korean War veteran,he was an Bren Gunner in the Royal Norfolk we were talking he lost his best mate to an sniper.
 
Thanks all. I should explain better only it is difficult to type left handed (broken right hand). According to his brothers and sisters (all who have since passed away previous to Ray), he went to Korea a happy young man, but returned a loner. What these negatives reveal to his nephews and nieces was that in 1952 he was a very different young man taking so many photographs most likely with a simple box camera, of so many soldiers posing for him.

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It was the Forgotten War. I know that Ray was involved with an operation at the end of his tour in Korea, where they taunted the Chinese into attacking in order to try and capture prisoners for interrogation. At least one national serviceman in his teens died in that skirmish, when he covered his mates retreat with a bren. He was due to go home the next week. Something of my uncle stayed there. His unit then moved to HK, where some the photos in the gallery were shot. Then he was demobbed. And his life seemed to stop. Uncle Ray rarely talked about Korea, or about anything really. A box of negatives now tell us something.
 
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Brilliant set and all the more interesting that there's a family connection.
 
As a young lad i was an Bren Gunner in the Royal Norfolk,the old man i was in hospital with could get out of bed but he like a smoke,but their weren't enough nurses to take him out,so i volunteer got him in a wheelchair and the pair of us used wander of outside for a quick smoke,and i sometimes sit by his bed to keep him company and that's when he stared talking about the Korean War,he was covering an attack with his Bren Gun when the sniper got his mate,but he said he got the sniper.

Great set of photos
 
simonblue said:
As a young lad i was an Bren Gunner in the Royal Norfolk,the old man i was in hospital with could get out of bed but he like a smoke,but their weren't enough nurses to take him out,so i volunteer got him in a wheelchair and the pair of us used wander of outside for a quick smoke,and i sometimes sit by his bed to keep him company and that's when he stared talking about the Korean War,he was covering an attack with his Bren Gun when the sniper got his mate,but he said he got the sniper.

Great set of photos
Click to expand...
Most likely it was the same tour and they knew each other. Ray was pictured in the local newspaper with the top image in this thread, holding his Bren. The article said that he saw action at Bunker Hill.
 
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I was in the newer N&N only today with a bust hand. I almost wonder if you met Ray himself, but if he stayed at hospital, no-one in the family might have even known. He did tell my brother a bit about it when he was young, but all nephews and nieces were discouraged from bringing it up. He was very much a hermit, living in East Dereham. Still, what a small world.
 
It was in the newer N&N as said about 10 or 12 years ago,i remember he did have some of visits but only a couple of time i think it was his family.

I also think he had lost a leg,but cant be sure.
 
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Nice set, love the Bren shots and also the makeshift table in the background in the last one!
 
Fantastic, Paul. It's amazing how a set of pics like this increases your connection with the person. He wasn't a bad photographer, either!
 
Condolences on the loss of your uncle. Great set and very interesting background, thank you for sharing them.
 
An excellent set of pictures.

I'm trying to work out what is on the ground in the first one - shells or cans of Guinness?!!


Steve.
 
great to see the 'Medics' were there -- I was in the RAMC but missed that war but nearly got sent off to the Suez Canal one in 1957 then they found I was down for Germany so didn't go -- didn't fancy dangling by Parachute while a load of Egyptians were shooting at me from below -- in Berlin we had only the Russians to worry about ( and VD --- )
 
Paul, this is a remarkable thread of images! You have brought Ray and his comrades back to life, forgotten heroes from a very much forgotten war.
 
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